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Queensland, Victoria, the land of abundance. Whether it is resources for thoroughbred horses or the talent for this sport. One such powerhouse is the Laming Racing, run by Bevan and Richard Laming. The epitome of the phrase keeping it simple these 2 incredible horse trainers do not believe in making things very complex but also they never let that philosophy come in the way of doing the best that is needed for an individual horse. Over the years they have acquired a reputation for being the hard workers and knowing that they leave no stone unturned and perhaps that also brings about the honesty and straight talk that they approach their clients with. Quality sells and by god they are perhaps the best dealers of it.
Richard Laming speaks to The Impact’s publisher about their development of the horses they purchased the last Scone Yearling Sale as well as their plans for the 2020 sales, the impact of COVID19 and much more.
Q: Last year you bought a few great horses. Where are they now?
A: Of the four horses we purchased, I am incredibly happy with two. The Not A Single Doubt colt was injured during travel and had to spend a few months at Newhaven Park recovering. He has been broken in and is now being spelt before he returns to train. The Scissor Kick colt is a half brother to Pay Roll. He hasn’t been galloped yet but I really like the look of him.
Q: What has buying at the sales been like with the Pandemic restrictions?
A: This year has been very different. I spoke to Inglis. The Scone sale is likely to be at Warwick Park. You have to work through all the horses available for sale. I usually like to buy my horses under A$100,000. I believe that we can find good horses at a budget. So I have to work quite hard to find the gems.
Q: In the current economic climate, many owners have shown a preference for mares with residual value. How do you evaluate a catalogue?
A: I don’t mind whether they are fillies or colts. As a trainer, I inspect almost all the horses available before going to the pedigree pages. If I like them, I’ll look at them a second time and get them vetted if I really like the look of them. Their gender doesn’t bother me.
Q: Please tell us about your best horse.
A: My favourite horse was Pay Roll, who was my first major winner in 2017. We currently have Jamaican Rain who is a multi-Group winner. We also have a couple of young horses who look like they will do really well.
Q: What ambitions do you have for your stable by 2030?
A: I like to take it one day at a time and go on training good horses.
Q: How do you divide your time between the two facilities?
A: We have two stables one in Queensland and one in Victoria. The Queensland stable is run by my father and I usually just go in when the Winter Carnival’s on. I spend the majority of my time at our Cranbourne facility.
Q: How early do you get involved with owners?
A: I always try to buy horses as yearlings on behalf of my owners. We then start working with them patiently. I like to give my horses time to mature before they start racing. If they get to the track early, that’s great but otherwise, they will get there when they are fully ready